Creating a Culture of
Winning™
11.21.14
Eric Gregory
SVP, Shipley Associates
Webinar Overview
 What do we mean by “culture”?
 Key elements of culture
 How does “winning business” fit with
culture?
 10 principles (steps) that support creating
a culture of winning
 Questions and Answers
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Culture: What is it?
“…the shared values, traditions, customs, philosophy, and policies of a
corporation; also, the professional atmosphere that grows from this and affects
behavior and performance.”
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- World English Dictionary
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“Organizational culture includes an organization's expectations, experiences,
philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image,
inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations.”
- BusinessDictionary.com
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The acknowledged and accepted expectations, values, attitudes, beliefs, rituals,
symbols, actions, tools, education, and reinforcements enabling a group to
sustain itself and prosper in the face of adversity and competition.
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Culture: Thrive (Win) or Die
Shawn Parr, Fast Company,
Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch,
Jan 2012
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Culture: Thrive (Win) or Die
FOCUS: Aligns the entire company towards achieving its vision, mission,
and goals.
MOTIVATION: Builds higher employee motivation and loyalty.
CONNECTION: Builds team cohesiveness among the company’s
various departments and divisions.
COHESION: Builds consistency and encourages coordination and
control within the company.
SPIRIT: Shapes employee behavior at work, enabling the organization to
be more efficient and alive.
Shawn Parr, Fast Company,
Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch, Jan
2012
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Roles Must Be Defined in a Culture of
Winning
Culture requires
specific talents for
success.
Creators
Win!
Teachers
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Sustainers
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A Culture Must Evolve
Integrate facts,
legends, art, and
heroes into the
organization’s
social fabric.
Stories
History
Win!
Visual
Exemplars
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A Culture of Winning™
Expectations
• Clear
Attitudes
• Lived
Beliefs
• Transmitted
Rituals
• Practiced
Symbols
• Observed
Actions
• Defined
• Available and used
Tools
Education
Reinforcements
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• Formal and mentoring
• Positive
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The First Step: Expect to Win!
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The First Step: Expect to Win!
Set win rate and capture ratios reasonably high
but not impossible
Expect everybody to contribute to winning new
business in well-defined roles
Have a “no excuses for losing” mindset
(we blew it!)
Have leaders set the tone
Publish metrics and results frequently
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The Second Step:
Align Values with Winning
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The Second Step: Align Values
Establish the Values of a Culture of Winning™
Teamwork
Discipline
Excellence
Accountability
Communication
Commitment
Innovation
Perseverance
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The Third Step:
Reinforce a Winning Attitude
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The Third Step: Attitude of Winning
Attitudes often determine
outcomes
Never accept a losing or neutral
attitude from an individual or the
team
Generate enthusiasm, create
confidence, engender
competitiveness, demand urgency
Choose attitude over skill in all
cases—skills can be improved.
Attitude is fixed
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The Fourth Step: Establish Beliefs
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The Fourth Step: Beliefs
Bid less, win more!
Win early. Bid to win, not to bid
Customer knowledge trumps
solution every time
The competition is always ahead
until you win. Enemy gets a vote
Strategy revolves around action
You can win in the capture and
lose in the proposal
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The Fifth Step: Recognize Rituals
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The Fifth Step: Rituals
Gate reviews are rituals that
cement the belief structure
Color team reviews are rite of
passage rituals for capture
teams demonstrating maturity
and competitiveness
Kickoffs are rituals in
preparation for tribal warfare
Win parties are rituals
celebrating and
acknowledging victory
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The Sixth Step:
Create Symbols of Success
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The Sixth Step: Symbols
Capture and Proposal logos
could be powerful symbols
for power and effect
Winning covers become
symbols for capture and
proposal aspirants
Numbers become powerful
and inspiring symbols. 60%
Capture Ratio
Colors become powerful
symbols of the pursuit of
excellence. BLUE
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The Seventh Step: Assign Action Tasks
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The Seventh Step: Actions
Define the 10 actions that must
be accomplished on every
capture effort to increase Pwin
Score actions at every gate
review and capture meeting
Ensure each action has an
accountable leader
Review each action separately
with the leader once a week
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The Eighth Step: Provide Tools
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The Eighth Step: Tools
Make tools and tool
experts readily available
Define and perfect your
tools
Make tool use mandatory,
not optional
Adapt tools, as required,
to make them better
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The Ninth Step: Educate and Train
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The Ninth Step: Education and Training
Education must become win
culture immersion
Must have formal and informal
education
Successful capture mentor
invaluable
Keepers of the flame must educate
the next generation
Practical application of skill
supervised by the experienced-the
only way to achieve excellence
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The Last Step: Reinforcements
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The Last Step: Reinforce and Recognize
Reinforcements should
accentuate the positive and
success and help eliminate the
negative and failure
Recognition should be rewards,
not punishments
Reinforce with praise, tangible
gifts, and setting of examples
Recognition from known
“heroes” may be the greatest
reinforcement available
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Summary:
Creating a Culture of Winning™
Not optional in today’s
competitive market
Knowing who you are and
how you will succeed as an
entity binds people (culture)
A culture of winning has a
clear advantage over a neutral
culture
Vision, energy, innovation,
competitiveness, are cultural
attributes
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Summary:
Creating a Culture of Winning™
Must be a clear objective of the
organization
Can be planned, developed,
and sustained
Identify your creators,
teachers, and sustainers
Live your culture through every
competition
When people lose their culture,
they die
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Creating a Culture of Winning™
“A vibrant culture provides a cooperative and collaborative environment
for a brand to thrive in. Your brand is the single most important asset to
differentiate you consistently over time, and it needs to be nurtured,
evolved, and invigorated by the people entrusted to keep it true and
alive.”
-Shawn Parr
Questions and Discussion
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Contact Information
Eric Gregory
egregory@shipleywins.com
ww.shipleywins.com
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